Forensic Biology

Forensic biology is centered on the analysis of biological evidence, which is a type of evidence that is either a physical biological sample or a piece of evidence that may contain a biological material. Blood, for example, is a physical biological piece of evidence, while a cigarette butt would be an example of a piece of evidence that may contain biological material. In forensic biology, the matching of suspect and crime scene evidence is evaluated with instrumental data. Forensic serology, anthropology, pathology, and DNA analysis are all disciplines within forensic biology. Forensic serology is the study of bodily fluids, such as blood, saliva, semen, and sweat. Forensic anthropology involves the identification and analysis of skeletal remains, such as bones and teeth. Forensic pathology is the discipline in which medical examinations of human remains, or autopsies, occur.[1] DNA is the most common form of biological evidence, which may be recovered from a crime scene, assault victim, or deceased remains. DNA is frequently used to link a suspect to a crime scene. If the suspect’s DNA does not match the crime scene DNA, the suspect can be excluded, but if the DNA does correspond, then the suspect may have deposited the DNA at the scene.[2] Determining if an unknown DNA sample collected from the crime scene belongs to the suspect or the victim, requires the analyst to compare the instrumental profiles of DNA between the unknown sample and a potential person.

Refer to chapter 5 of the 2009 NAS report on forensic science for further description of types of biological evidence.[3]